Improvement in garters



' T. J. CARROLL Garter.

No, 212,837. Patent ed Mar. 4,1879. L

w az y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- IMPROVEMENT IN GARTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,837, dated March 4, 1879; application filed December 10, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. CARROLL, of Bridgeport, in the county of .Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Garters and the equivalent thereof, as hereinafter set forth; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the con struction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of my improved garter as one illustration of my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of the garter. Fig. 3 is a modification of my invention adapted for a suspender or braces.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to coiled-spring gar ters or straps having hooks and eyes or other fastenings on the ends of the coils, by which they can be clasped around the limb.

The nature of my invention consists in a garter or strap formed of closely-coiled springwire, each individual coil of which is wound or covered with silk or other soft, fibrous, nonmetallic material, as will be hereinafter ex plained.

I am aware that garters formed of naked wire-coiled springs have been incased in a fibrous sheath or tube, as shown in Letters Patent No. 169,229, dated October 26, 187 5.

I am also aware that covered spiral springs have been used in ladies bustles, as shown in Letters Patent No. 25,854, granted October 18, 1859.

I am also aware that plated coiled-spring garters are not new.

I take what is known as spring-wire, and cover it with silk, worsted,or other suitable non-metallic material, which will prevent any rusting of the wire-core from injuring the clothing.

The drawings, Fig. 1, represent a garter or strap which is made of spring-metal wire covered with a soft fibrous material. This covering may be applied on the wire by the well-known process of winding or braiding. The covered wire is then wound on acylindrical or flat mandrel, so as to form the wire into a helical spring, each individual coil of which is covered.

A designates the spring-wire, and B the soft non-metallic covering of the same.

In Fig. 1, C designates an eyelet, and D a tongue, which latter will interlock with the eyelet and form a band or garter. r

E E are loops which prevent displacement of the springs, and a a are flexible non-elastic strings or tapes which prevent the springs from being unduly stretched.

Instead of the tongue and eyelet above referred to, a hook-and-eye fastening may be used and attached to several covered and coiled springs, as shown by Fi 3.

WVhat I claim as my invention is The garter or strap formed of coiled-sprin g wire, each individual coil of which is covered with a fibrous or other non-metallic material, as shown, the ends of the coils having fastenings attached to them, as set forth.

THOMAS J. CARROLL.

Witnesses R. T. CAMPBELL, S. M. PooL. 

